Yesterday afternoon I attended The Salford Garden Party at the Civic Centre in Swinton. This annual event is designed to promote, amongst other things, the services Salford City Council has to offer it’s residents. As someone interested in local politics, the highlight of the Garden Party is “The Big Ask”, where ordinary people like you and me have the opportunity to question our city’s councillors and leaders on, well, pretty much anything we like.
Last year I attended and queried Councillor Merry on my pet hate of potholes, but my intention was simply to listen this year – since I’m hoping in the not too distant future, I’ll be the one answering the questions.
While this year’s questions covered a wide range of topics, all night I’ve been struggling with Derek Antrobus’ answer to one posed regarding the council’s decision to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on the Christmas Ice Rink. When asked, Councillor Antrobus defended the near-£200,000 spend on a month’s worth of subsidised ice-skating by stating it provided youngsters something to do and was a healthy activity.
Yet the Council had the opportunity to continue to fund free swimming beyond 29th August for under-17s at an annual cost to the city of almost £200,000 (Since free swimming was introduced in Salford there were over 150,000 visits to pools by young people. The government grant for free swimming for 2009/10 was £196,287 – source Salford Star). In fact, the free swimming government grant ended on 31st July and Salford Council decided to fund it for a further month (until the end of the summer holidays), so they clearly understood the long term value of free swimming for young people.
So, Councillor Antrobus, your argument for supporting the Ice Rink for a few weeks of “exercise and something to do” doesn’t quite stack up when the same money could have been spent providing free swimming for an entire year for those same youngsters. Perhaps the flashy ice rink with it’s stays-on-all-day-and-all-night lighting ticks more marketing check-boxes than free swimming for non-voters?
Carvath is on moderation on my blog at the moment. You are quite right that barring him from posting is illiberal, but equally correct when you call him a muppet!
While the free swimming was removed post-election, it’s introduction by Labour was cynically timed (coming just before the election). Labour knew they were on the way out, knew free swimming was a gimmick, but introduced it anyway so they could bleet about how it had been “cut” by the incoming government. Forgive me if I don’t take financial advice from a Labour stalwart such as yourself!
It is extraordinary that you have set a figure for Christmas animation and health promotion against free swimming. The coalition have cut free swimming post election. This savagery was hardly predictable but you have set up an entirely false dichotomy.
Carvath is a muppet and you should consider barring him from posting, illiberal though that may seem. He appears to be defaming various PPCs over election expenses with no evidence base whatsoever. It’s not safe to allow Carvath to do this.
Iain, I agree that £17k is not an unreasonable figure… but then again it would not be unreasonable to speculate a few grand more!
£17k doesn’t seem an unreasonable ball-park figure, if I’m honest.
You legally have access to Norman’s expenses, why not see for yourself?
The above blogpost is nothing to do with election expenses, so I’m curious that you would choose this comment thread to raise the subject?
Speaking of figures that don’t add up Steve…
You were Norman’s agent. What figures did you give for Norman’s 2010 general election campaign?
Hazel Blears’ total election expenses were given as £17,105. My gut feeling is that this figure doesn’t tell us the full story of the spending (and notional spending) on Hazel’s campaign.
I’d be interested to know what thoughts if any you have about Hazel’s campaign expenses.
You’re not an ordinary person like me Steve.
You’re special.
You’re a Lib Dem.
There’s a couple of good ones (I think you’re in most of them). Will upload them later.
How did your Big Ask pictures turn out Steve?